I grab his hand and tear it away. “Don’t … patronize … me! ”
“Lucian-”
But I whirl before he can finish and tromp back to the campfire, kicking up flurries of earth in my wake before dropping cross-legged near Cypress. I can’t even tell the difference between the heat generated from the roaring blaze and that which boils my blood.
He feels sorry for me …
Gideon leans forward. “I’m sure you did see something, Spark. This place is crawling with Imps watching our every move, keeping tallies on our progress, making sure we don’t try and desert.”
“I’m sure that’s exactly all it was,” Ophelia squeaks, linking an arm around Gideon’s and squeezing.
Cypress clears her throat. “I think Spark saw something else.”
Of all the things I thought she’d say, that wasn’t one of them. “You do?”
Green fire dances in her eyes. “I think it was one of the Lost Recruits.”
“Excuse me?” Ophelia interrupts. “Did one of the Recruits get lost?” Her index finger bobs at each one of us in turn. “Hmmm. I counted five. I think we’re all accounted-”
“She’s referring to the Fallen Five,” Digory announces. He plunks down on the opposite side of the circle from me.
“But they’re just a myth, right?” I cast my eyes around the campfire. “I mean, they’re not real … are they?”
Cypress bites her lip. “Oh, they’re real.”
I remember hearing the story of the Fallen Five from Cassius when I wasn’t much older than Cole. He used to say that they’d come for us in the middle of the night and whisk us away from our beds if we weren’t careful. The thing is, on many of those endless nights, while my folks slaved away in the mines, I cowered in my cot, hungry and cold, and prayed that they would.
Is Cole thinking the same thing now?
Ophelia’s eyes twinkle. “Looks like I’m the only one who’s never heard of these Falling Five.”
“Fallen,” Gideon corrects her. “The Fallen Five.”
She giggles. “Sorry. So where exactly did they fall from?”
Digory tosses a twig in the flames. “The Fallen Five were a quintet of Recruits drafted on Recruitment Day, just like we were. Ten years ago.”
Ophelia bounces on the sand. “So by fallen you mean that they all fell, as in failed, during the Trials, and no one was promoted that year, is that right?”
“Partially,” Digory responds. “No one was promoted that year because no one ever made it to the Trials.”
Ophelia frowns. “I don’t understand. What happened to them?”
“They vanished,” I say. “All five of them. Without a trace. Shortly after arriving at Infiernos.”
She glances at the tree, then hugs her knees. “M-maybe they had an accident and were lost-”
“They were on an FTX just like we are now,” Digory continues. “Their packs and supplies were found. Everything was intact … except for them.”
She shakes her head. “It’s just a story meant to frighten children! That’s all!”
“It seems to be working,” Cypress mutters.
Gideon folds his arms. “You know, I just thought about something that hasn’t crossed my mind in years. When I was six, my folks and I lived next door to a family whose daughter was recruited. Tasha Gillespie, her name was. I was pretty young at the time, but I remember being scared when she just disappeared and never came home. I thought she’d done something terrible and her parents had sent her away. I couldn’t sleep for weeks, afraid the same thing was going to happen to me. That was ten years ago. Maybe she was one of the Fallen Five … ”
“I think the Establishment murdered them,” Digory says. His words are a needle that weaves an icy thread around the ring. “They probably found out one of the Establishment’s many secrets and were silenced before they could expose it, like everyone always is.”
I lean in. “Sssh! Careful, Digory,”
Cypress yawns. “I think you’re all giving the Fallen Five too much credit.” Her gaze pierces Ophelia. “They weren’t lost in some pathetic Field Training Exercise.” Next she fixes on Gideon with a glaze of contempt. “Nor was it some terrible punishment by their parents.” Finally, she turns to skewer Digory with her eyes. “And they weren’t martyrs, sacrificing their lives to the Establishment for the good of our society.”
“Then what happened to them?” I challenge her.
She turns to me and I brace for what’s coming. But instead of dripping with mockery, her eyes are pools of emerald bitterness. “They were deserters, cowards, nothing more.”
Her words stun me. I can’t conceive of the implications of what she’s saying. Any notions of fleeing I’ve ever had are quashed when I think about Cole and how he’s depending on me to come through.
“Cypress, deserters aren’t just risking their own lives,” I say. “Their Incentives … anyone they leave behind … they’re all subject to punishment. That’s why we’re all here. How could anyone do what you’re suggesting?”
Her eyes drop to her lap. “How could he?” she whispers. A shaky hand swipes across her face. Then she bolts to her feet and marches into one of the shelters, throwing the flaps open and disappearing inside.
For a few minutes, nobody says anything. We just stare at each other across the crackling flames, watching the shadows dance across the orange glow on our faces.
Who is she talking about?
“Do you really think the Fallen Five were murdered?” I finally ask Digory. “Cypress seems certain they’re alive. But if they are alive and hiding out, why haven’t any of the Recruits over the last nine years caught a glimpse of them?”
“Yes, I do believe the Establishment killed them,” Digory answers. “But if by some miracle Cypress is right, there’s a very good reason none of the other Recruits has ever seen them.”
Adrenaline revs my heart.
“What is it?” Gideon asks.
Digory tosses more twigs into the fire. “After they disappeared, the Establishment moved the Trials to another base-whether this was done to cover up evidence or prevent it from happening again, that’s open to debate.”
“But the location of the Trials has always been kept secret! How would you know-?” I stop myself. His connections within the rebellion … “I understand.”
He nods. “If Cypress is right, we may get our chance to solve the mystery of the Fallen Five.”
Ophelia rubs her arms. “Why’s that?”
He looks around. “This year”-he lowers his voice-“the Establishment decided to return the Trials to the original venue.”
My eyes open wide. “You mean-?”
“We’re the first to return. That’s why they installed those pylons around Infiernos. Whatever happened to the Fallen Five, it happened right outside that sonic fence.”
I glance back at the narrow path creeping into the jungle. It’s framed by a canopy of interlocking branches that resemble gnarled fingers clasped together in dark prayer. A wisp of mist curls forth like a dying breath. I hug myself, trying to rub some feeling back into my marble skin.
Seventeen
It’s the last night before we’re set to begin Phase Three, the final stage of our training before the Trials begin. I’m on adrenaline overload and can’t sleep.
A groggy Gideon trudges into the barracks in the middle of the night and taps me on the shoulder. “You’re up,” he grunts before collapsing onto his cot. For the first time, I’m grateful to be on CQ duty.
In no time at all, I’ve slipped into my uniform and out the door, briskly walking the perimeter of the barracks, trying to burn up the anxiety churning through me. I plow through my rounds in record time. Along the way I encounter pockets of soldiers making supply runs, performing maintenance checks on vehicles, packing up equipment. In each instance, they look haggard, as if they’ve been pulling double shifts. A couple of times they drop their voices to a whisper as I walk by, as if I cared what secrets they harbor. When I’m done, I’m still jumpy with nervous energy and decide to jog up the three-hundred-plus steps to the top of the circular Observation Tower.